Friend w



F. W. SMITH, In.

WIRE CHAIN.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1916. RENEWED oct. 24. 1918.

1,305,673. Patented June 3, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET WASH ms rum 0. c.

F. W. SMITH, In.

wme CHAIN. APPLICATION FILED JULY I5, I9I6- RENEWED OCT. 24. I918.

Patente J 11110 3, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SIIEET 2.

' TinrTnn STATES PATENT orrron.

FRIEND W. SMITH, JR., 015 BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMITH&

EGGE MFG. 00.,013 BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTI-OUT.

WIRE CHAIN.

Patented June 3, 1919.

Application filed July 15, 1916, Serial No. 109,553. Renewed October 24,1918. Serial No. 259,598.

To all whom 2'2! may concern.

Be it known that I, FRIEND IV. SMITH, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in WireChains, of which the following is a speoification.

' This invention pertains to wire chains and hasfor its main object theproduction of a chain wherein the ends of the wire extending from thebow or loop of the link are interlocked in the formation of the eye insuch manner as to prevent spreading or collapse of the loop understress. Furthermore, the eye is strong and there are no projecting endswhich render the chain rough, so that it will not gather lint and waste.Again, the construction is such that the chain may be readily employedas a sprocket-chain, a point of manifest advantage.

While being flexible, in that there is no pinching or binding of theinterconnected loops and eyes, the loops will maintain their shape underordinary strains; that is to say, they will not spread nor collapse,such action to a great extent being prevented by the crossing over ofthe loop or bow ends in the formation of the eyes, as will behereinafter set forth.

The invention is susceptible of various embodiments and several of suchare illustrated in the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a face view of two interconnected links of the preferredform of the invention;

Fig. 2 a side elevation'of the same;

Fig. 3 a perspective view;

Fig. 4 a like view of a link, with one of the eye sections broken away;

Fig. 5 a face view of a modified form of link;

Figs. 6 and thereof;

Figs. 8 and 9, l0 and 11, 12 and 13 and 14 and 15 face and sideelevations, respectively, of four other modifications.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, each link 7 side and perspective viewsis formed from a single piece of wire bent to form and comprises a bowor loop, shown as elongated in form, having an end or curved portion 1and side strands or elements 2 and 3. In forming up the link the sidestrands are each carried inwardly and cross each other, each beingslightly bowed or offset, as at 4, where they contact in crossing. Eachstrand end is then bent laterally and upwardly, and in oppositedirections, thence downwardly to a point be low that where the strandscross at the upper end of the loop, and is then carried inwardly throughand in contact with the cross-over members of the loop body, and finallyturned in beneath the first lateral bend in the eye.

Stated in another way, the eye of the link may be said to be formed byturning each strand end outwardly, as at 5, above the bowed crossingportions 4, said outward portion 5 (and the remainder of the eye aswell) lying in a plane which stands at right angles to a plane passinglongitudinally through the elements 2 and 3; from 5 the strand passesinto a semicircular portion 6, the opposite element 7 whereof extendsdownwardly to a point below the cross-over sections 4, being carriedbeneath the same, as at 8, and thence upwardly inside and in contactwith the adjacent strand, the incurved end 9 lying beneath and close tothe out-turned or eye section 5. By this formation each end 9 of thestrand is protected or covered. At the same time a twin eye is formed atone end of the'loop, the two strands which form the eye lying side byside, as do also the lower and what may be termed the anchoring or hookends of the eyes, composed of the lower portion of element 7, the curvedsection 8 and the in turned end 9. It is also to be noted that the eyesproper and the anchoring sections of the eyes are bent or formed inopposite direct-ions to each other, and that the anchoring sections bothpass through the upper end of the loop beneath the cross-over sections4. Thus, the loop end adjacent the eye is firmly held in place andagainst spread or collapse under strain, and the formation is such as toprovide for covering or housing of the end of the inturned portion 9.The combined eye and anchoring element may be said to have the generaloutline of a figure 9, see Fig. 2, the upper portion whereof forms theeye proper and the lower tail portion the-anchoring element.

In the construction shown in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, the construction isthe same as that above set forth, exceptfor the manner in which the endsof the strands are curled or anchored.

In this instance, instead of extending the eye strand downwardly, as at7, said clowngoing side is carried over the crossing strands 4, as at10, and then curled inwardly through the bow and around the strand. Inother words, the anchoring ends of the eyes are merely curled around theupper end elements ofthe bow in directions reverse to that shown in theform first described.

WViththe form illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 the side strands crosseachother as before, and the eyes are formed by carrying the strandsupwardly, as at 11, and also inwardly toward each other at the upperportion 12 of the eye, the strands being then carried downwardly betweenthe lower. portion'ofsections 11 and over the cross-over portion 4 of;the loop, thence through the loop below said; portion, as denoted by 13,and the ends 14 turned inwardly beneath the overlyingaportions of theeye.

- The. construction illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11 is a reversal of thatshown in Figs. 8 and 9. The strands cross as at at, but instead; ofcarrying the anchoring portions or elements of; the eyes down betweenthe elements thereof, said portions, denoted by 1,5, are carried overthe crossing portions 4. and. thence pass inwardly and upwardly, the,extreme ends 16 extending beneath and being covered by the eye proper.

In Figs. 12 and 13 the upper portions of the side strands of the loopare crossed, as at 4:, and. are deflected to onev side, as at 17, bothin the same general direction and to the same side of theloop, thencurved upwardly, over and downwardly forming. eyes, the ends 18 beingcarried through the loop beneath crosseover 4, thence upwardly andbetween the lower portion of thecurved and deflected. portions 17;

The construction illustrated in Figs. 1a and 15 is similarto that lastdescribed. The side strands, as in all the other forms, cross over'atthe, upper end of the loop, as at 4. They are then deflected laterallyof the loop, as at 19, extend upwardly over and downwardly, forming theeye and have their lowerends (which pass beneath the crossedovermembers) coiled or twisted aroundv said members, as at. 20.

Under all the forms, strain applied to the chain has a tendency to forceor draw the component elements of the eyes together, a point of manifestadvantage. Furthermore, as above indicated, the bows or loops of thechain limbs cannot be spread, nor will they elongate under normalstrain, this by reason of the fact that the ends of the strands whichform the anchoring elements of the twin eye pass through the bow or loopand bind or tie the crossover elements of the bow or loop. end together.

It is also to be noted that under all the constructions the terminals orends of the wire pass through and clear of theloop and the ends extendtoward the eye, and in all the constructions, with the possible excep'tion ofthe last modification, the ends are covered by the overlying eyeportions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A wire chain, each link of which consists of a bowportion and two eyeportions, the wire from which said link is formed crossing intermediatesaid how and eye por tions, with the terminal ofeach. eye anchored orinterlocked to the, cross-over'portion of the strand which extendsfromthe opposite side of the bow, whereby the eyes and bow are anchoredto each other.

2. A chain, each link oi which consists. of a bow portion and eyeportions that are disposed in planes at right angles to. each other,the, side wires ofthe: bow terminating in, said eyes, and each. side.wire. being on a side of the link opposite to that on. which itscorresponding eye portion is located.

3. A chain, each link of which consists of a bow portion and.eyeportions :Eormedfrom av single piece 015 wire, the. strands oi thesides of the bows, crossing each other, and the. eyes being fprmed asextensions. of said strands, the ends of the wire passingthrough the bowin. contact with the cross-over portions and then being. bent andhoused: at the bases of the eyes in parallelism and substantially incontact. i

4. A chain, each link 01'5" which consists of a bow portion and eye,portions formed from. a single piece of; wire, the bow and eye portionsbeing. disposed in. planes at right angles to each other, the sidestrands of the bow crossing, each. other. at one. end of the bow,thenbeing curved: upwardly and downwardly each in a direction thereverseof the other, with the lower. 611(11' oi each turned inwardly throughthebow in parallelism, substantially in contact with each other, andalso. in. contact with the crossed wires thereof, theterminals lying.belowl and being covered by the adjacent upwardly-ex tending portions ofthe eye.

5. A chain link formed: fro na inglepiece of.- wire bent to form, andcomprising a b ow portion and two eye portions, said eye pore tionslying. side by side and. each having the general outline of a figure 9,the upper? portion whereof-forms the eye properfia'nd the lower portionan anchoring elementembracing that strand of the loop-which passestherethrough and extends to the otheneye portion. T r

' 6'. A chain link formed from asinglepiece of wire bent toformandcomprisingsa. bow portion and two twin eyeportions, the eyes eingdisposed in planes whichare at: right LIB angles to the plane of thebow, the eyes lying figure 9, the upper portion whereof forms bowcrossing each other and being engaged the eye proper and the lowerportion an by and anchored to the inturned ends of 10 anchoring elementembracing that strand of the eyes, which pass through the bow portheloop which passes therethrough and extion and lie in contact with eachother withtends to the other eye portion. in the loop.

7 A chain link formed from a single piece In testimony whereof I havesigned my of wire and comprising a bow portion and name to thisspecification. two eye portions, the side strands of the FRIEND W.SMITH, JR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

